Stovetop Tzimmes

Tzimmes is a traditional Ashkenazi Jewish stew made with sweet root vegetables– carrots, sweet potatoes, yams– and dried fruits like raisins or dried plums. The word tzimmes is also a Yiddish expression for “making a fuss” over something. Not surprisingly, tzimmes is a bit of a fussy dish… with all of those root veggies, there is lots of peeling, chopping, then more peeling and more chopping. The side dish is often served for Rosh Hashanah, where sweet foods are served to signify our hope for a sweet new year. Carrots are chopped into circles, which are reminiscent of coins, symbolizing prosperity. Sometimes tzimmes are served with meat, like chunks of flanken or short ribs, in a luscious sort of savory/sweet stew. Most often, they’re served as a side dish to accompany the holiday meal.

But here’s the most important question about tzimmes… how the heck do you pronounce it??

Tsi-miss!

You’re welcome.

If your kitchen is anything like mine during the holidays, oven space is precious. With brisket and chicken in the oven, kugel warming, and challah rolls baking, I try to find ways to cook my side dishes on the stovetop. Hence the name of this recipe – Stovetop Tzimmes!

To make this dish pareve or vegetarian/vegan, use lightly salted water instead of chicken broth to cook the ingredients. I like using chicken broth because it adds a savory element to this naturally sweet dish, giving it a nice balance of flavors. This dish is gluten free and kosher for Passover (if you use KFP certified broth/ingredients). Enjoy!

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Kosher Key: Meat or Pareve (use salted water instead of broth to make pareve)

Place cut yams, sweet potatoes, and carrots on the bottom of a large heavy pot.

Pour dried apples and cranberries on top.

In a medium bowl, whisk together orange juice, honey, brown sugar, cinnamon, salt, and black pepper. Pour mixture over the fruits and vegetables in the pot.

Add chicken broth or salted water to the pot, covering the vegetables halfway. Heat pot over medium high till it begins to simmer. Stir the ingredients once gently.

Reduce heat to a gentle but constant simmer. Cover the pot.

After 45 minutes, open the pot and gently stir again. Place pitted prunes on top of the simmering ingredients.

Cover pot. Continue to cook on lowest heat for another 15 minutes, until potato pieces are tender and prunes have warmed and softened. Don't cook too long, or the prunes will dissolve-- it will make a nice sauce for the tzimmes, but it won't look so pretty on the table.

This will be my third year adapting this recipe for my family! I have made a number of changes to accommodate dietary restrictions and preferences and it’s a great template. I sub dried apricots for the apples and cranberries as well as pineapple juice for orange juice. I am going to try it without added sugar this year, per another reviewer’s idea.

I used less than honey specified and no brown sugar, plenty sweet. Also I think I was very close on her measurements – we had 6 adults & 5 kids, I had 1/2 leftover. Actually nothing compelling about this recipe. Needs some zingy- ness – maybe grated orange zest?

Just made this slightly underdone as you suggested (40 min first and then 10 after prunes) as it will be re-heated to be served tomorrow for the holiday. Am bringing it from Maryland in a cooler on the train, for my 92 year old Jewish mother in NYC! I must admit, I took a taste and it is PERFECT! (I did add 1/2 of a large onion sauteed in a little olive oil for a touch of savory, but other than that stuck to the recipe by the letter. GREAT recipe and great site! (Love your falafel as well!). Thank you! I’ll be back looking for other goodies!

Hi Dana, yes you can. You may not want to cook it for the whole time (perhaps stop 10 minutes before the end of cooking) and when you reheat, finish cooking. That way it won’t turn mushy when you reheat. Enjoy!

Hi Marlo, I haven’t ever doubled it. The only problem I foresee is it being difficult to stir in one large pot… there are a lot of chunks, and the more you stir/agitate the more likely they are to fall apart. No big deal if they do flavor-wise, but they won’t look as nice. You might want to try making the two batches in separate pots, it might be easier to manage. Enjoy!

I’ve tried over the years to reproduce my grandmothers tzimmes. Finally I think I found the recipe here! A bit of trivia if someone is curious … I never understood what the symbolism was aside from being sweet for a sweet new year (traditionally served on Rosh Hashanah – the Jewish new year). I finally found out, and the symbolism may change the way you cut your veggies! The sweet potatoes and carrots represent golden coins so cut your veggies in rounds. My grandmother did this, as her mother did, as her mother did … Who knows if any of them knew the reason. This dish represents a blessing for a sweet and prosperous new year! Shanah tovah from Israel!

This was a delicious and easy tzimmes to make. Finding white sweet potatoes was the only slight hitch. I went to the Asian grocer and they carried a white fleshed yam from Japan that did the trick. I found that the liquids were better absorbed the second day after cooking. This was great for Rosh Hashana and I will be making it for Pesach as well.

Outstanding dish! I made it parve, added a dash of cumin to contrast with the sweetness. Also, used whatever I had at home: dried apricots, raisins, and prunes along with the carrots and sweet potatoes, no white potatoes. My Yiddishe mamaleh (for real…a survivor from Poylin whose first language was Yiddish) couldn’t get enough. Really delish and a great Rosh Hashana treat. Thank you, Tori, and Shana Tovah!

If making it a day in advance, I would leave out the prunes when you first cook it. Then, the next day, toss the veggies with the prunes and reheat everything on the stovetop with a little broth in the bottom of the pan (maybe 1/2 inch) till the veggies are warmed through and the prunes are softened. Of course, if you prefer the prunes to be cooked down to a mush and make a sort of “prune sauce,” you can cook the prunes in advance too… it just won’t look quite as nice as the picture, since they get soft quite easily.

We are running a Passover at our Church this Saturday and I going to make this yummy looking Tzimmes for 100 people! I have bought carrots & orange sweet potato as the root crops as I don’t think we have yam down here in Australia (well not readily available). I was going to make 4 pots of double quantity and I think that will be enough as there is lots of children who won’t eat much. Will it work making double quantity in a pot or will I run the risk of the bottom catching or vegies not being cooked through? Or should it work the same? Hope you can help!! Also I made 270 or your Matzo balls (just mini size though) and attempting 25L of your Chicken soup tomorrow!!! With all your positive reviews I’m counting on a good outcome. Thanks for your blog. The step by step photos really help!

Orange sweet potatoes are known as yams in the U.S., so you’re fine there. A double quantity should be fine, just make sure to keep the heat moderate/low and check often to make sure no burning or drying occurs. That’s a big job, best of luck with it!

I’m making this dish for a late Pesach seder. I’m a bit confused, though. What does “covering the vegetables halfway” mean? How is something half covered by liquid? Is that like being half-way pregnant? 🙂 Thanks.

Hi Alice, I think this will probably freeze well. Just know that the prunes will likely dissolve after freezing, then reheating. They are already quite soft, which is fine… when they dissolve it makes a sort of rich, sweet sauce. Hope that helps!

My mom, who is now 91, on Pesach, used to make the Tzimmes more liquidy so I guess I got to allow those prunes to cook a little longer. Anyways watch my family’s movie it’s called Defiance its about the Bielskis who saved Jews during WWII, take note of Zus, my father.

I ran a Yom Hashoah program 2 years ago and our speaker was Anna Monka..she was one of the women who lived in the forest and was alive because of the Bielski brothers..what a wonderful, brave and resourceful family. Many thanks to them for all the lives saved because of them..

Missed the prunes, ran short of honey and tossed in a little chicken – what a superb dish this is. I think it will become a regular at our thanksgiving meal (and possibly church potlucks)! Please take a bow oh Shiksa!

I have been making Tzimmis for over 50 years..It is an enhanced recipe my mother made..I do not use any liquid..the veggies take care of that…I use sweet potatoes, carrots, short ribs, chichen wings, brown sugar, honey and maple syrup..it is good for a side dish and a main meal..it is a family favorite..

I LOVE your website — so interesting and easy to get around — you are a gem — want to make the tsimmes dish — but without orange juice — any substitutes ? how would apple juice work — or if i use vegetable broth maybe just leave out the orange juice? thanks so much–

This looks delicious, Tori. I suspect with flavor party going on – it would be okay to omit the cinnamon. What a beautiful dish – and I know what you mean about precious oven space. I use two electric roasters during Thanksgiving so I have room!

This sounds wonderful and very simple. I’m going to try this for RH this year, thank you! I think it will go wonderfully with my lamb 🙂

I adore your blog/website. A friend introduced me to it last year and I’ve been coming back regularly ever since. Many thanks for the wonderful ideas as well as the great recipes, clear instructions and photos. Makes for a wonderfully enticing and informative resource. Kudos!

Hi Shawn! The veggies absorb most of the broth, so there is very little left at the end of cooking. You could add more broth if you wanted a little liquid to serve with it. It is sweet, but the broth and salt give it a nice savory balance. It would be great for Thanksgiving too, lots of nice harvest veggies in there. 🙂

This looks like a much nicer version than the overcooked meat version of Tzimmes my Bubbe made…not ever a favorite of mine. Yours looks wonderful…the colors bright and beautiful. Great pics! I would love a bite right now!